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All parties were agreed that the explosion originated in Bailey's place. It was an explosion of firedamp propagated by coal dust. Two men were killed in the Wellington section of the mine by afterdamp carried there by way of Jollows drift, and damage was done as far as 530 yards outbye on the Haig main haulage road.

On inspecting Bailey's place between 3 and 3.30 o'clock in the morning of 29th January, the deputy (John Graham) estimated firedamp to he present to the extent of 2½ per cent.; he withdrew the men who were at work there and fenced off the place. It was still fenced off when the men on the morning shift came inbye and they were set to work elsewhere.

Such was Graham's original evidence, but on further examination he explained that he found 2½ per cent. of firedamp four yards within the brattice door placed across the entrance to Bailey's place and that the light of his flame safety lamp was extinguished by firedamp some three yards further in or about four to six feet from the face. He examined the brattice and, finding it down from the roof in places, he repaired it; but on making a further inspection some two hours later, he found firedamp still present.

At about 10.30 a.m. the day shift deputy, Joseph Holliday, inspected Bailey's place. He estimated that the firedamp content had been reduced to 1½ per cent., and he removed the fence and admitted the workmen.

At about midday, the Manager was in this place but as he had an electric lamp only, he could not test for firedamp. He met the deputies, Joseph Holliday and William Cowan, about five minutes later and they told him the place was clear.

The last report prior to the explosion in reference to Bailey's place was made by William Cowan, deputy of the afternoon shift. It referred to Bailey's place as McFadden's place and read: "McFadden's place showing 1½ per cent. of gas."

During the afternoon shift, John Bailey Jr., and Fred Armstrong were working in Bailey's place and John McGlennon and Henry Walsh in the place immediately opposite. The two latter gave evidence, McGlennon saying that they worked uninterruptedly for the whole of the shift; that the afternoon shift deputy, William Cowan, had been in Bailey's place, backwards and forwards, all the afternoon; that the afternoon shift overman, John Fearon, was in Bailey's place about 7.15 p.m. and that he was followed about five minutes later by Robert Vincent, the night shift deputy who was making inspection prior to the night shift coming to work. Fearon and Cowan, with Armstrong and Bailey Jr., were in Bailey's place at this time and McGlennon and Walsh were close by in their place. Between these two groups of men, there was a brattice door. Vincent came up Bailey's level and passed through the brattice door into Bailey's place when, according to the evidence of McGlennon, they heard Fearon say "Lower your light" and, according to the evidence of Walsh. "Lower your flame." Walsh could not say to whom this instruction was give n but he guessed it was to Vincent. McGlennon said definitely that the instruction was given to Vincent.

The inference which might be drawn from this incident would be that in Bailey's place at that time firedamp was present to an alarming extent, but in view of the further evidence given by McGlennon and by Walsh and later by the overman, John Fearon, this inference would be erroneous.

Walsh said that he last saw Cowan about five minutes to eight when he (Cowan) with Armstrong and Bailey Jr. were still at work in Bailey's place and that Cowan's flame safety lamp was at that time alight. McGlennon said that at two minutes to eight, although he did not go through the brattice door, he put his head through to tell Armstrong, Bailey Jr. and Cowan the time. He then saw that Armstrong was kirving; that Bailey had taken down the boring machine and that Cowan appeared to have been charging a shot-hole at the right hand side. He however did not take much notice whether Cowan had a lamp or not. Fearon and Vincent were no longer in Bailey's place.

Fearon, in his evidence, said that when he reached Bailey's place Armstrong was laying-in (kirving) on the right side, Bailey was drilling a shot-hole on the left side, and Cowan was just going to test the air. Vincent arrived at the moment and he (Fearon) told him "to turn his light round because Cowan was testing at the time." Cowan had drawn down the flame of his lamp and he watched him make a test across the face and saw that there was no indication of firedamp whatever.

In regard to the quantity of firedamp which was being given off in Bailey's place, John Graham, the deputy who withdrew the workmen from that place during the night shift of 28th January, said that, in his opinion, the feeders were so strong that, if the brattice door across the entrance to it were hung up, the place "would get full of gas" in five minutes.

If this be true a worse condition would arise if the brattice leading the ventilation up Bailey's level were deranged, or if the brattice doors across the places further outbye were held up by tubs being left under them or were not properly closed after persons had passed through them, for in any such case the ventilating current would be cut off from Bailey's place almost entirely.

This last possibility is important for there was evidence that persons at the end of the afternoon shift travelled outbye by way of the Brake (see Plan 1) and thence to the No. 3 North Dip, passing through the two brattice doors across the Brake on their way. If these doors did not close tightly after persons had passed through, Bailey's place would be left insufficiently ventilated and, in the absence of any better explanation of the presence of an accumulation of firedamp in Bailey's place, this would appear to be the most likely.

The explosion occurred at thirteen minutes past eight and, as has already been said, had its origin in Bailey's place. What had actually happened in that place between two minutes to eight when McGlennon saw Cowan. Armstrong and Bailey Jr. at work there, and eight thirteen, when the explosion occurred, can only be surmised.